Buz Nachlas for Alexandria Living Magazine
This photo was taken at River Farm; dress provided by Ellie's Bridal Boutique; flowers by the Virginia Florist.
Alexandria is known for being one of the most romantic cities in the country. It’s the perfect place to get married — spring, summer, winter or fall — with plenty of charming and historic venues to choose from for the perfect wedding.
This is the first in a series of articles we'll run in the coming weeks looking at some top wedding trends from dresses (here) to jewelry, flowers, catering and more.
Couples — be sure to mark your calendars! You won’t want to miss the Alexandria Wedding Showcase on Sunday, June 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Westin Alexandria Old Town. You could win a free honeymoon! More info and tickets are available through AlexandriaWeddingShowcase.com.
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“Here comes the bride, all dressed in white,” is the old saying, but wedding gowns don’t always have to be white.
Although about half of the brides who walk through the door of Ellie's Bridal Boutique at 225 N. Washington St. in Old Town Alexandria go for ivory, the other 50 percent trend toward everything from lighter pinks to nude tones, according to the store.
In some cultures or religions, white wedding dresses are not the norm. Indian brides typically wear colorful sari or lehenga and Chinese brides wear red, the color of good luck, happiness and prosperity. At one time, Spanish Roman Catholic brides wore black dresses to show their devotion until death.
One of the top trends seen at the boutique are three dimensional florals with texture, to give the dress depth. Decorative backs — a very low back or an illusion sheer back are also popular.
How about black lace over white? That more unusual choice was recently highlighted by Alexandria’s Global Bridal Gallery, 689 S. Washington St., in a video they created to show off some of the wedding dress styles they have available.
A "royal" look to consider: “Statement” trains and veils (think Meghan Markle’s 16-foot veil two years ago) and veils are expected to continue to be a trend in 2020, according to the “Women Getting Married” podcast. Elegance by Roya, 1311 King St., recently showed off a double-tiered train by wedding dress design company Enzoani. For fall and winter weddings, many brides are showing interest in higher necklines and long sleeves.
One wedding dress trend we endorse? Pockets (perfect place to tuck a "some-thing old" heirloom handkerchief). Anna’s Bridal, 8804 Pear Tree Village Court in the Mount Vernon area, showed off the trend in an A-line NEVA dress, Aire Barcelona, a beautiful example of the trend, on its social media pages.
Details make the difference. "We're seeing pleating back, buttons on the back of the gown and bows are big," according to wedding expert Monte Durham. If a bride wants to wear lace, it's often worn with a darker shade underneath, to show the pattern of the lace.
Floral designs incorporated into the dress, in the form of floral lace em-broidery or colorful hand-printed flowers, are something to consider if a garden wedding is in your future, as well. Tiaras worn with hair in ballet knots are also big this wedding season, Durham said.
For the extreme fashion forward bride: styles coming out of the most recent fashion shows in Europe show brides in blazers and business suits, according to Brides Magazine.
See a few of what's available in the Alexandria area in these social media posts:
Shopping Tips
Ellie's Bridal Boutique offers these tips for shopping for your wedding dress:
1. Try not to get overwhelmed. The first appointment is not so much about finding your dress, but more about finding your style.
2. Try everything, even if you don't think it's for you.
3. Don't shop around too much or "it will just mess with your head."
4. Not everyone has that "I'm going to cry" moment.
5. Consider shopping on a weekday, when bridal salons are less crowded.
6. Bring shoes, a slip and wear undergarments that work with a wedding gown.
7. Don’t bring a large entourage— too many opinions may cause doubt.
